FUTURE COSTS (Part 2)

Installation

Once your system is tested and fully developed, the actual model has to be taken from its prototype form to its actual installation. Installation goes beyond simply placing the equipment in the desired location, sticking it all together and plugging it in. 

The services of skilled professionals from many fields, some more specialised that others, must be enlisted. Carpenters must fit workbenches and desks that the equipment will rest on, electricians will install cable ducting and the cable itself. Network specialists will then assemble the network, connecting servers, hubs, bridges, routers and patch panels, building a central location, from which the network’s services emanate, known as a wiring closet or main distribution facility (MDF). Workstations will be placed on benches and connected to the relevant ports, which are wired to the MDF, thus giving them network connectivity. If the network is designed to use fibre optic cable, perhaps as a backbone, then cable specialists are required to splice and polish cables, a highly skilled job, and a very costly service.

Infrastructure

 Installing an IT solution, or in this case a network, often provides several options. The myriad of choice can usually be contained and understood within a cost versus performance paradigm. Even if you do not fully understand all of the options, one of these factors may well decide for you. If money is not an option, then you simply tell your development team to build the best, and care not for the cost, however, if you live in the real world with the rest of us, then your choice will fall much closer to the cost boundary.

 Having decided upon the topology, the architecture, configuration, size and purpose of your network, then it is time to decide upon the infrastructure, that is, the internal organizations for data access, data storage and most importantly application services. 

There are basically three ways in which to organise this infrastructure:

 - Thin Client

 - Fat Client 

 - Hybrid

Thin Clients

 Thin clients have been deemed as the future of computing, not just for the business user, but also for the home user. The thin-client computing atmosphere consists of associate application server, a network, and thin-client devices.. The thin client is a simple terminal or other computing device used to connect to servers where applications and data are accessed and viewed. Thin client machines are so called, because they contain no CPU, hard drive or RAM. The system box is simply a case containing a motherboard, facilitating the connection of peripherals such as mice, monitors and keyboards. Also, connected to the motherboard, is a network card, providing the interface for the client to connect to the to the network. No applications or complex operating systems are installed on the machines either. 

 This next generation of computing enables organizations to reduce costs due to the fact that the terminal machines are “empty” boxes, costing considerable less than a modern workstation, thus providing an attractive approach for cutting hardware costs. 

 Granted, thin clients pre-empt the need for a fat server loaded with resources, like several fast CPUs, masses of storage and plenty of RAM. The server will be responsible for all processing on the network and support for multiple users, therefore the need for extra resources. Even though the cost of such a machine is likely to be high, the money saved on thin clients still enables the purchase of a high performance server, with money to spare. 

 Thin clients lower the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). As well as costing a fraction of the price to what we normally pay for a power PC, they are more reliable than traditional computing environments and require less maintenance. Management, systems support, and downtime are the fastest growing and least manageable costs to owning technology. With computing power, applications, and data centralised on secure servers, fewer technical staff can support many more users. Thin clients have no need for hard drives, memory, or other hardware upgrades. Software updates are distributed at once to all clients across the network, creating a few standard desktop configurations to ease training, troubleshooting, and maintenance. Server backups secure and protect data.

Fat Clients 

 As the term suggests, fat clients are the very opposite of their thin client relatives. Fat Clients, also known as bloated clients are fully loaded PC's, desktops or laptops, containing a full suite of PC applications, a PC operating system like Windows, and network connectivity software. The software resident on these machines is known as "bloatware". These machines are costly and known to be complex to manage and introduce the need for more, and better trained support staff. However, machines of this type actually reduce network traffic since they run applications and process locally, requiring network access for print and data services only. Money can be saved on server costs, but probably not enough to justify a fat client infrastructure.                                                                          

Hybrid 

 Which infrastructure is right for your environment? It would seem that they both are. The fat client will continue to serve the heavy PC user or the mobile user, and the thin client will provide PC capabilities to large organisations that are largely application and data-centric, with perhaps the desire for Internet access.

 Again, we are faced with the cost versus performance paradigm, and it is either of these two factors which will decide what infrastructure is the correct one. In terms of objectivity, there is no right and wrong, choices are purely subjective and are made on requirement or taste. The only requirement, whichever you choose, must fulfil the purpose for its implementation.  

Licensing Costs

Organisations must ensure that they hold valid licences for all deployed software. Failure to manage licensing properly, can and often does, result in heavy fines. Licences vary in price, but bulk buying will reduce costs per licenses. All installed network operating systems must have a licence per user and per machine. Applications software, even though installed on a central server and distributed across the network, must have a license purchased per user. Some licences are calculated on the basis of the machine that is running the software.

Recently, the development of ASPs (application service providers), are changing the way licensing works. ASPs offer users the chance to operate on a pay-per-use basis - renting out software rather than charging a flat fee for installation on a company's own systems. This method is causing traditional licensing to undergo significant changes in the industry. Users of Microsoft’s Office 10 offers a simple choice for users: they can either acquire Office on an open-ended licence for a single payment as normal, or make a much smaller down payment followed by an annual subscription. This would entitle the user to all updates and point revisions automatically. At the end of the 12-month period, users have the option of renewing their subscription. If they choose not to, Office allows existing documents to be viewed and printed, but nothing new can be created or saved.

Licensing has become a very complex and confusing area for network administrators to manage, now that the conventional method is undergoing such change. In the ensuing disorder, one thing is for sure; this is an inescapable and costly requirement.

External Charges Helpdesk  Since we live in a world subject to entropy, sooner or later, wear and tear will affect IT equipment, causing devices like hard-drives to capitulate, backup tapes to wear-out, keyboards and mice to fail and printers to burn out etc. The environment that we live in also affects equipment. Changes in temperature, airborne dust particles, smoke etc, finally take its toll. Also, no one can predict disaster events, like flooding and/or fire.  Providing help facilities to users is another cost consideration. The level of internal user-support will vary, depending on the size of the company and the extent of the support facility. Smaller organisations may well manage user-support with the services of an individual or small team, but large enterprise networks will require a dedicated 2-teir system, called a helpdesk.   Users with problems contact the helpdesk by telephone and state the nature of their fault to the helpdesk operative. The operative immediately logs the fault, and other relevant information into the online database system. Next, the operative attempts to resolve the problem by using various tools of the trade. Online, pre-programmed aids, or manuals can be used, which guides the operative through a series of questions regarding the fault, and providing possible solutions. Remote control software may also be used. This method allows the operative to take control of the problematic machine, and to control it as though it were a local machine. The operative can then attempt to fix the machine. This software can allow remote connectivity to the next room or across the world.   Should these measures fail, the helpdesk assistant logs the fault, and assigns it a priority. The priority will determine whether or not the fault is logged onto the system for the next available technician to pick up, or if the technician should be contacted directly.  In most cases, the above system will take care of user-support requests, however, problems that lie out with the capabilities of the help team are then escalated to an external organisation who will then resolve the problem.

Maintenance Contract   No organisation is totally self-sufficient. Even if they are tremendously efficient at handling userís requests and problems, there will undoubtedly be situations that they will be unable to resolve, and so the services of a maintenance contract will most likely be employed, albeit, to varying degrees. External aid of this nature provides a safety net of sorts. Maintenance contracts are reassuring, for there will be times when the skills, knowledge or resources required for a job, may well not exist within the company, contractors can then come to the rescue. This is the thinking that leads most enterprises to invest significant amounts of money every year with support companies.  It is up to the network administrator and or similar staff to decide what level of support is required. Contracts can be negotiated that will handle all repairs, some with only major repairs, and some perhaps only being used in emergencies. One important factor in negotiating a contract is to agree to its extent. Will the equipment be sent to the contractorís base, or will the technician attend the site? Also, It is very important to agree on a response time and a resolution time. If your company is running a mission-critical application, then it is crucial to ensure that the contractor can offer the level of service that is being paid for. Contractors can even provide a swap-out option. That is, if equipment fails, the contractor is able to appear at your organisations door with a full-working replacement, which will replace the defective equipment until it is repaired. Some large companies, like IBM can swap out, not just single machines, but entire systems. Once put in place, you would simply configure the network to your needs, install applications and reinstate data from backups.   So, maintenance contracts can vary according to an organisations needs and size, however, regardless of needs it is important to observe the following:  - When negotiating a maintenance contract firms should decide exactly what they will need from their maintainer. Network managers should ensure that they drive the negotiations, rather than allowing the maintenance company to set the agenda.  - Network managers should detail all requirements in an invitation to tender, and make sure the winning maintenance firm agrees to it. Bids should leave nothing to assumption.  - Firms should insist on cost breakdowns for both the basic service and any value add-ons. They should make sure they know what they are paying for so they can tell if it is worth it.   - Firms have a right to know about the maintenance staff who will be working on their behalf. Inspecting CVs, site visits, and lots of face-to-face meetings can make sure that IT managers know what level of service they can expect.

Connecting your organisations network to the Internet is often another unforeseen cost. Costs are incurred through leased lines. As mentioned in the networks module, there are several methods available for connection of your Web server to the Internet. These broadband solutions vary in performance, some being faster and more reliable than others, and are made available usually for a monthly charge. The table below shows various options that are available from BT. Notice, the faster your connection, the greater the expense. 

Product	Max. Speed	Installation	Monthly rental	VAT
Business 2000PLUS	2000	$260	$159.99	Ex
Business 1000PLUS	1000	$260	$129.99	Ex
Business 500PLUS	500	$130	$99.99	Ex
Business 500	500	$75	$39.99	Ex
Home 500	500	$74.99	$39.99	Inc